No More Cannons!
by FaRaven
Summary: What if Shang hadn’t thought to save the last cannon at the battle at Tun-Shou Pass?
1. The Beginning of the End

**Chapter 1: The Beginning of theEnd**

'_Oh, my gosh! It is so cold!_' Mulan thought to herself as they made their way through the Tung-Shao pass. '_Well at least it can't get any worse_' she thought reminiscing about the burned village and demolished army. If what Shang said was true then we don't stand a chance.

Swoosh! A rocket fired out of the wagon she was leading and zipped into the air then exploded with a loud BAM! '_Mushu!_' she wanted to scream as she saw him appear from the whole in the wagon with Cri-Kee. He was pointing a finger at the harmless cricket when Shang came up beside and yelled in her face, "What happened? You just gave away our position!"

"Uh…," stalled Mulan, '_How am I going to explain this?_'Just then Shang let out a grunt and fell off his horse to the ground. She made a move to help him when he yanked the arrow out of his armor and ordered, "Get out of range!"

'_Ancestors help us!_' Mulan screamed in her head. This was one of the worst situations of her life; she was definitely getting the blame for this one. '_Well, I'll worry about that later; I need to live that long first._' Just then firey arrows shot out of the sky and some landed in the wagon with the rockets. Struggling to keep Khan under control she heard Shang yell,

"Save the cannons!" Mulan kept Khan under control while the others emptied the burning wagon of cannons while it was on the verge of explosion. Seeing that they had retrieved as many as they could Mulan slashed the poles holding Khan to the wagon and rode off with sword raised. They weren't quick enough and she was thrown off her horse by the explosion of the wagon. Her helmet went soaring to who knows where and Mushu and her sword landed next to her with Khan some feet ahead.

"Sure, save the horse, ah…" mumbled Mushu as he collapsed in the snow. Her head throbbing she snatched up her sword and Mushu and made a quick grab of Khan's reins as she ran towards the others at a pile of rocks.

"Fire!" ordered Shang, and rocket after rocket struck the archers in the mountains. After the last rocket was used all became quiet.

"No more cannons, Captain!" yelled Yao from the a rock.

'_That should take care of them_' thought Shang. "Good work men I believe that was the last of them, if we make good time we might able to reach the Emperor by…" but he trailed of as all of a sudden a shadowy figure stood at the top of the mountain ridge and then it expanded out. Shang gasped as he realized that there were thousands and thousands of Huns lining the mountains ready to attack. '_Oh, no, I've led my men here just to die. Only a fool of a captain would use up all their fire power on a first attack._' He bashed himself mentally. '_No time for that now, what to do, what to do…_' Just then Ping unsheaved his sword and stood a battle ready position. His scrawniest soldier who had showed the most improvement he had ever seen was the only one to realize what was about to happen.

"Ready yourselves men! If we die with die with honor!" were the only words of encouragement he could offer to the sentenced men. Ping closed his eyes and opened them slowly as if to make sure it were really happening. '_I can't believe it's going to end this way_' thought Shang.

"AHHHH!" cried the Huns as they made there descent down the mountain. '_This will be easy_' thought Shan-Yu. "If they are out of cannons stop midway!" he yelled to his men. It was passed along down the stampede one way or another. With no sign of an attack, only swords, Shan-Yu stopped his horse at the top of the second hill over looking the surviving army. His troops stopped and awaited his plan knowing it was something despicable. "Men I believe we have already won this battle and taken China, I think it is just a matter of getting to the capital that lies beyond us." The men grunted in agreement. "So I was thinking why not a special little opener have for China's new Emperor, Shan-Yu. I was thinking maybe the public execution of the last of China's greatest army."

"YEAH!" yelled the Huns in agreement.

"This is the plan," started Shan-Yu. "We let them run up to us so that we have the advantage, don't worry, they'll get anxious before long. Then, we'll need some rope. I know we have plenty of that and finally some whips to keep them in order or what not. I'm planning on going a little out of the way to destroy some more villages before going to see the Emperor." The plan decided the Huns sat and waited for the first foolish soldier to try and attack them.

'_This is not good… Why did they stop? What are they planning?_' Mulan frantically thought to herself. '_We can't hide, there's a couple hundred feet drop behind us and a couple thousand Huns in front of us. Either way we die, at least if we fight the Huns we die with honor instead of suicide…_'

Then she heard Shang sigh, '_He really thinks this is hopeless… Aw I'm sick of it!_' "In the name of China I will not let you get away with this you dogs! If it's a fight you want! Then it's a fight you'll get! AHHHH!" That was all Shang heard before he saw a green blur run past him with a sword raised.

He barely had any time to react before he realized it was Ping, "Ping! No, wait!" '_This is not how it's supposed to happen!_'

"Come on we gotta help!" yelled Yao to Ling and Chien-Po, and they to ran off after Ping.

"Men! Attack!" Ordered Shang, '_There's nothing else to do except try to kill as many as possible, but why aren't they reacting?_'

"Here comes the first one, men, and a little crazy I think…Did he just call us dogs!" cried Shan-Yu. "Someone hand me a club, this one is going to have a head ache" Shan-Yu was handed the club and the soldier rushed forward, but instead of charging as Shan-Yu had anticipated, the soldier planted his sword as a lever and kicked him square in the jaw. Then he brought the sword up from the snow to slash him only to have his hand held back by one of the other Huns. "You'll pay for that, Small One!" spat Shan-Yu his mouth dripping with blood and he brought the club hard upon his head. Looking dazed for a moment Ping looked around confused and held up his fist to make what may have been a punch before falling face first into the snow. "Bind him before the others come and look for any other weapons this fool might be carrying, I'm going to watch him personally. Just capture the others and notify when it is complete." And he turned and waited as Small One was roughly bound by the wrists and ankles and dragged away to a nearby rock by two large Huns.

'_Where's Ping?_' thought Shang as his hands were tied behind his back. He was struggling to break free but the Hun holding him back was no match for him. '_That was so stupid! We would have been better off staying there and waiting instead of spreading our troops too thin. I should have let Ping run off and get him self killed!_' The anger and rage he was feeling was no match for that of Shan-Yu's though who at that very moment was glaring at the unconscious Ping, or Small One as Shan-Yu called him.

"You know, you're a little stronger than you look." He spat at Ping sending the blood from his mouth wound all over Ping's pale face. "Bet, you thought you were going to take each one of us down single handedly didn't you? Well this is no children's story, this is life! And yours is about to be over." The soldier stirred and strained against the bonds that held him to a rock. "Ah, so you can here me, Small One? Well then you better listen good! Your little emperor is going to meet his end in time and I'm going to make you and your friends my first act as new ruling Emperor of China, the public execution of all Chinese soldiers. How do you like the sound of that, Small One!"

Ping painfully turned his head and with some effort opened his eyes. Filling his mouth with saliva and snorting in some mucus he spat a large lugie right in Shan-Yu's eye. Snarling in frustration he lifted his hand and smacked Ping across the face multiple times until blood ran out of his mouth and them punched him in the stomach until blood spewed across the snow. Ping's head rolled forward unconscious again and Shan-Yu took one more look before kicking him in the side and sending snow in his face full of his own blood.

Shan-Yu walked back over to where his men had crowded around. Before them sat the last of the Chinese army bound with ropes held by different Hun soldiers. Shan-Yu recognized Shang as the leader and turned to him saying, "Well, well, _Captain_" he laughed. "Seems you're not having a good day are you?"

Shang raised his head and looked Shan-Yu straight in the eyes, "Where's Ping, the first soldier to run up here?"

Shan-Yu stared a second before answering, "Oh, that soldier…um…I will certainly enjoy killing him. He showed quite a lot of spunk considering he knew he didn't stand a chance. I think I might have some trouble with Small One before we reach our destination…"

"But it only takes a day to reach the capital from here!" yelled Shang, "Unless…NO! You wouldn't!"

"But of course! I believe you would all love to witness the death of little children screaming for their mothers wouldn't you? Seems like it would bring more torture than I could ever inflict on you physically. Am I right Captain?"

Shang shivered before answering, "You dirty, lonesome, son-of-a!" SMACK!

Shang fell face first into the ground and a Hun recoiled his hand, "You better act more kindly around your future ruler foot scum! Or you might find yourself at the wrong end of the sword if you know what I mean! HAHAHA!"

"That's enough, Shien. Just load the prisoners on the horses and bound them tight. And would two of you follow me to take care of Small One," ordered Shan-Yu. '_The beginning of the end of the old China is near, the world will tremble at the new all mighty China of the Huns as we will conquer them all!_' "MWHAHAHAHA!"

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This is just the beginning, I told you it was going to be gruesom and this is only the beginning. This is the least violent chapter I have right now. So if you don't feel up to it stop now or forever hold your peace! 


	2. Dogs and Masters

**Chapter 2: Dogs and Masters**

"Let go of me!" yelled Ping as two Huns struggled to retie him to the horse. '_I'm not going down without a fight_' thought Mulan to herself. '_If I get out I'll kill every last one!_'

"Huff." Snorted Shan-Yu loudly, "If you children are done playing we really do have a schedule to keep. Let me try something…" his voice trailed of as he saw his horses whip in its side satchel. "Here we go." He sneered unwinding the painful device. "Now are you going to behave or am I going to have to get a little rough, Small One?"

"Let me go!" he screamed again, "Let me go!" he struggled again against the Huns and this time managed to break free.

"Oh, no, you don't!" raged Shan-Yu and he cocked the whip back and aimed it directly as the escaping soldier. The whip made a loud crack and wrapped itself around Mulan's left leg. It tripped her up sending her into the snow. Fortunately for her the snow muffled her girlish scream that had accidentally escaped.

'_I can't let that happen_' she thought. 'I _would be in even more trouble then._' Then she felt being dragged across the snow on her stomach. The pain in her leg was immense but she never showed any signs of it. She was roughly picked up by the Huns and lifted off the ground so that she was eye-level with Shan-Yu.

"Seems I'll need to keep a tighter leash on you." He sneered before placing a lasso shaped rope over her neck. So who's the dog now!" he laughed. Then on a more serious note, "Bind his hands until they bleed, but… keep the bonds on his feet fairly lose so that he will be able to walk because as you know dogs follow their masters on foot beside them. And be sure that his leash is tied securely to my horse's saddle. I don't want him running off." And with that he left the Huns to carry out the work. '_That Small One has a lot of spirit. I can't stand spirit. I really will enjoy making him suffer._'

He came back to see the Chinese soldiers tied in bundles on top of the horses (about 4 soldiers to one horse and there being only eight soldiers just caused two Huns to have to double with another). "Good, good, good. No problems I assume?" questioned Shan-Yu.

"No, sir!" answered Shien. "They all obeyed quickly after they saw what happened to Small One over there." He scoffed. "I don't think we'll have any problems with this lot. This really was a good idea, sir."

"Yes, and speaking of Small One here he comes now." Mulan came limping but more or so dragged up to Shan-Yu. Her hands were a bloody mess and her neck was rubbed raw from struggling against the Huns. "Seems you need some obedience training, Small One, maybe a good gallop along my steed will show you a lesson." Then Huns yelled their agreement and Mulan was dragged over to Shan-Yu's horse and had her '_leash_' tied to the saddle.

"Hope you can keep up, Small One, I wouldn't want to have to lose one of my main attractions." He laughed. "Are you ready?"

Ping's friends looked on with disgust as Shan-Yu started up his horse at a walk and Ping was about to lose his balance due to his hands behind his back and feet still bound like ankle cuffs. Then Shan-Yu started to trot and the rope around Ping's neck tightened and made him choke. His leg was still hurt from the whipping incident and now bled freely into the snow. Finally Shan-Yu went into a full gallop and Ping slipped but didn't choke because he had caught the leash in his teeth and was biting for dear life until Shan-Yu slowed down to a stop.

Ping collapsed to the ground with a huff. "That or worse will happen to anyone who tries to defy me!" Shan-Yu spat at the others and pointed to Ping. "You don't have to worry about being killed that would be the easy way out of this one." Then he swept Ping off the ground and lifted him with one hand so that he was eye level with himself. "Now, Small One, I believe you've had enough torment for today and if you would like to end it you will be a good dog and follow me." With that he threw Ping to the ground and readied his horse. "We'll ride until we reach a village at the bottom of the mountain and then the fun will begin."

'_Where's Chi-Fu?_' thought Yao who was smashed together between Ling and Chien-Po on a horse, Shang was in the front but Yao was right in the middle. '_Probably ran off crying like a baby, I just hope he was smart enough to run to the emperor_'

"It's over?" said Chi-Fu to himself. "Well good riddance. I hate those barbaric rascals. They'll meet their end soon enough…" and then it occurred to him that the Huns had won and were racing of to defeat the Emperor. '_Oh, no, I really don't want to have to walk the whole way down the mountain, but if the Emperor is killed I'll be out of a job!_' So with that in mind Chi-Fu started his slow descent down the mountain.

"So, Small One, are you enjoying the view?" Shan-Yu asked as he purposely sped up and almost caused Mulan to trip. She did not answer him; she merely looked up at him and glared. Seeing that he was not getting any response he took out his whip he used to speed up his horse and smacked her on the back. She grunted and strained to keep her balance. Feeling satisfied he kept the whip out just incase.

"Tao and Melin go ahead and look for a village come back and report which way to go." Shan-Yu ordered. The two took off. Taking advantage of the break Mulan sat down next to the horse and waited for the scouts to report back. She was in no rush to see the destruction of a village, but before she could even take a deep breath someone kicked her in her side and she fell sideways into a pile of horse dung. More humiliated than angry she pushed herself out of the pile and balanced on her feet to stand up because she was still bound by the wrist and her leash kept her from leaning too far. She looked up into the eyes of Shien, Shan-Yu's second in command.

She spat and glared at him wanting very much to kick the living day lights out of him, but before she could do anything further he kicked her below the belt, girl or boy that still hurts. She recoiled in pain and they all started laughing, quite a group had surrounded the two, Shan-Yu was off somewhere in the woods taking care of something. "So this is bravest of China's army reduced to a mere dog in the sight of Shan-Yu! HAHAHA!"

Mulan was still buckled over but she had enough energy to look up at the Hun and yell, "You will never defeat China!"

Now this greatly anger Shien and in his rage he untied Mulan from the horse and lead her to a nearby tree. He cut the bonds on her wrists but only to be retied and thrown over a tree branch. He pulled her off the ground and tied the slack around the base of the tree. "Yes, we'll see who'll never defeat China! Take that!" CRACK! The whip broke hard on her back, but she had prepared herself and did not let out a single scream.

"Oh, was that too soft for you?" CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! He lashed her so many times she almost went unconscious with pain, but still never let out a peep. The whole time her comrades looked on with horror as Shien showed no sign of mercy. Then finally Shan-Yu emerged from the woods.

"What is going on here, Shien? Has, Small One, here disgraced you in any way?" asked Shan-Yu.

"Sir, this, this dog, was defying against you. I thought only to teach him a lesson," exasperated Shien. "Saying that we would never be able to defeat China and what not. I couldn't stand for it!"

"Shien, it's fine I do not question your liability or your actions. Just untie him and tie him back to the horse. I wonder what's taking those two such a long time…" Shan-Yu was obviously in some other trail of thought.

Shien cut the rope holding her to the tree and she fell with a thud on her bottom. He kicked her forward on her stomach and roughly bound her wrists again, much tighter than they had been before. He picked her up off the ground by the leash, choking her and led her back to the horse. Mulan was in terrible pain, her sides, back, head, feet and hands were injured and mentally she was down, knowing that there was nothing she could do to stop the Huns, nothing at all. She avoided eye contact with Shang and the others as she passed them. '_Why are the Huns picking on me and not them? What's going to happen next?_'

Shien tied her back to the horse and whispered where no one could hear, "You better watch your back, Small One, I can torture you much worse than a piece of rope ever will!" and with that he left her staring back. Finally able to breathe deeply she felt blood pouring out all over her body and pain beyond belief entered every nerve in her body.

'_I think Shan-Yu was right, dieing would be the easy way out._' Just then the two Hun scouts came galloping up to Shan-Yu excitedly and started pointing.

Shan-Yu nodded and said "Men were heading northeast to the town of Tien-Zao; it should take about an hour or so. So let's get a move on." Then on a quieter note, "Try to keep up, Small One, I won't be stopping." She glared and stood up ready to run even though it was hurting just to put pressure on her left foot.

Eventually they reached the town of Tien-Zao. It was so peaceful and quiet completely unaware of what was about to happen. "Tie the prisoners to those trees over there I want them to have front seat to this." Ordered Shan-Yu and with a sneer added, "Make sure that, Small One is high enough to see!" The soldiers knew what this meant and went to work removing the soldiers from the horses and binding them to the trees. Shien took special care to make sure Ping was very uncomfortable above everyone else hanging by his wrists from a tree branch like before while everyone else was earthbound.

"Comfy, Small One?" toyed Shien. "Hope so because you're going to be here for a while!" and he went to the front to join Shan-Yu for there extermination of a peaceful village.

"They'll all go to Hades." Whispered Ping to the others who all nodded in agreement.

"Ping?" Asked Shang who was closest to him.

"Yes, Captain?" answered Ping.

"Why are you doing this, this unnecessary punishment? They're going to kill us anyways why do you want to suffer along with that?" questioned Shang, he had been wondering the whole time.

"Because I am not going to stand for this…arh… We're soldiers we're supposed to…ah… die to make sure that these people don't die…humm…. I'm going to do something rather than nothing" answered Ping who was obviously having a hard time breathing.

Seeing this Shang quickly shut-up not wanting to harm him anymore '_He's been through enough today…_' But his thoughts were interrupted with a high pitched scream coming from the village.


	3. The Break

**Chapter 3: The Break**

Hiya! Sorry about not updating people...! I gotta a job, finally and it's been this and that and I soooooo forgot about fanfiction dodges dangerous explosives from peeved reviewers Um…Questions were asked, I guess I should make a list of those, yes?

Angel452: Um…Mushu's with Chien Po? Remember? There gonna go and "try" to save the Emperor, which will have its own chapter, I think…

Jibrill: Mushu is with Chien Po, and well that's another chapter for another day.

Kirara-ravie: Um…you got my question right. I thought that was going to be hard…dang…And um…one of your answers is right? '

ttSerenity: It's rated R for upcoming chapters and to just be safe, I don't want it to get deleted.

Nix: I'm waiting for someone like you to cuss me out so that I'll be motivated to right .

OK, I don't own Mulan, I don't own Disney, but I do own a 3 foot Mushu. There now on with the story!

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The scream seemed to echo around the world. Shang winced, '_This cannot be happening!_' He looked up at Ping who's eyes were closed and he seemed to be chanting, '_Great,_' he thought, '_I'm sure after the ancestors ignored us when our lives were on the line that they'll definitely answer us now…_'

"Ancestors, please help us…please help us…please…please…" she coughed between lines, she felt like she was being stretched in two and it was starting to cut off her circulation. '_I've got to hold on…_' she thought feebly to herself, '_I've got to help those people._'

"You pathetic woman!" shouted Shay-Yu, but as he was about to strike again her husband flew at him with a butcher knife.

"Get away from h-" but he was cut short as a blade struck him between the eyes.

"No!" cried the woman who tried to break free of the Hun's death grip, "You-You! You killed him! Let me go!"

"Don't worry you'll join him soon enough…" he sneered as he quickly ended her life as well and then threw her lifeless body next to her husband's. "Leave no survivor! Kill them all!" he ordered to his men.

"YAH!" the all agreed and continued to ravage the village at a faster pace.

'_Just a little more…_' whispered Mulan in her head, being in a girl she had very delicate wrists that a boy could only hope to have. _SWISH!_ One of her wrists had finally slipped out of bonds, but her other one was still caught and now the rope was pulled tighter. It felt like her shoulder was about to rip off, '_Can't give up now._' And with that in mind she made a desperate grab with her free hand at the rope above her. She somehow found the strength to pull herself up to slack up the rope around her wrist until she was able to slip it out. Completely exhausted she fell to the ground in a heap.

"Ping! Are you alright?" Shang shouted, concern edged in his voice.

Without a word she pulled herself up and with a limp stumbled behind the tree and yanked at Shang's ropes, they wouldn't budge. '_I need something…something sharp_' her eyes fell upon a rock it was fairly dull but what choice did she have. She brutally beat the rock against the ropes finally shreds started to tear and the shreds turned in strands and the strands eventually gave away. "Free the others…" she urged at him and limped off with the rock in hand.

'_What the heck just happened?_' and then he realized he could move and as blood started pumping back into brain he got up and moved over to the others. '_Ping, please be careful…_'

'_Great what am I supposed to do now?_' she thought urgently to herself. Just then she spotted a Hun about to harm a little boy on the ground. '_Alright now I know what I'm supposed to do_' as she moved forward toward the Hun and boy '_Take them down one by one…_' and with that she took the rock and creeping right up behind him brought the rock as hard as he could on his head. Blood spewed all over her face and the Hun crumpled to the ground in a heap. The little boy looked at her scared, "Go and run into the forest hide for as long as you can until everything is quiet." And with that she disappeared in the shadows and saw the little boy run swiftly and quietly into the woods behind the village. '_What have I gotten myself into?_'

"Come on men, get up we've got to go and help those people!" Shouted Shang as he untied the last soldier from the tree. "Ping's already gone ahead, but we need to have a plan." After a few moments of silence, "Any suggestions?"

He was starting to think that Ping's sacrifice was in vain when suddenly Yao spoke up, "Sir, we need to get as many people out of here as possible with out them seeing us."

"Alright, that's the plan. So let's start Mission Rescue Village!" yelled Shang, '_Yeah that's really going to get them going…_' thought Shang miserably to himself. "Just go and save those people and…if you have to kill some of those barbaric Huns while you're out there…"

"YAY!" they agreed and looked to Shang for further instruction.

'_This will be dangerous_' thought Shang grimly to himself. '_Ping I just pray that you're alright…_'

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A Little Short but I'll do better, you guys have been plenty pacient and I'll try to go faster next time...Sorry, I couldn't believe I was actually out of the apartment, yeah I finally got my own place! GO ME! Rent's a pain though... 


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